Node: Node 14 snap packages

[the-spyke]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

Node 14 snap package is still unavailable in the Snap store after a day.

Describe the solution you'd like

The package is owned by NodeSource, but for snaps you don't need to host your own repo and everything. So, I propose:

1. Reclaim ownership of the package.
2. Build and publish snaps as a part of general Node CI. Publish snaps is the same as with npm. This will also make those packages more official/legit.
3. Fix latest channel and provide Node current as latest/stable with nightly build as latest/edge.
4. Consider the same for flatpack on Flathub.

Describe alternatives you've considered

Installing a deb/rpm package, but it isn't so convenient and lacks an ability to have multiple versions installed simultaneously.

[sam-github]

Just to be clear, doing this would involve:

1. someone with ci privs volunteering to add to the already complex release tooling to do this
2. the release team to agree to add to the considerbable work of releasing one more (different) kind of release target

I'm not saying that's impossible, but I'm not volunteering, sorry! Nothing against snaps, it would be lovely if all the build products possible, for all possible packaging systems, all triggered automatically whenever Node.js does a release, but I don't have the time.

You might want to explore some alternate paths:

• consider trying to join node-source's snap team, maybe they need more people, which is why its a bit delayed?
• see if you can get a team together (like github.com/nodejs/docker-node) who would collectively be responsible for publishing snaps
• https://github.com/nodejs/unofficial-builds/ -- this has a lower bar to entry than the official builds, open an issue there, volunteer to do the maintenance, and maybe snap builds could happen there?

Build and publish snaps as a part of general Node CI. Publish snaps is the same as with npm.

What does this mean? The Node.js project doesn't publish npm.

[the-spyke]

What does this mean? The Node.js project doesn't publish npm.

@sam-github This means that unlike deb or other package format, you don't need to setup/maintain a repository for packages (PPA in case of deb). Just like in case of npm (should be familiar to Node devs) you push an artifact into already existing common repository. For snaps it is Snap Store maintained by Canonical. So, there is much less work comparing to other formats.

The build script is already made by NodeSource. So, it makes sense to promote it to an official repo. Node's download page provides only a tarball for Linux. This will be a good way to improve the situation because snap works on 20+ different distributions.

[richardlau]

I think @rvagg was involved in setting up the snap package so maybe he has ideas.

[the-spyke]

Maybe @popey could give an advise.

[sam-github]

@the-spyke OK, I see where you were going with that.

Node's download page provides only a tarball for Linux. This will be a good way to improve the situation because snap works on 20+ different distributions.

Just to be clear, convincing people it would be great for up to date snaps to exist isn't hard, its probably already done. I certainly agree.

Its finding people to volunteer to do the work that is the challenge - my suggestions of alternate paths in https://github.com/nodejs/node/issues/32994#issuecomment-617842859 is intended to suggest some paths to making this happen.

[rvagg]

Yeah, sorry, this is entirely on me. Something I forgot to do. The node snap has NodeSource's name on it, but it's completely managed by me, with auto-builds triggered by my systems.

I'm hesitant to move it into nodejs/build because we're already struggling with capacity with all of the things we manage now. If you're volunteering then head over to that repo, watch it and join a few meetings and you might find things to help out with.

For snaps, I have to request a new track for each major release line first, so that's a hold-up, they should be speedy about it though because they've agreed that node gets fast-track approval because it's a predictable cycle. I'll get everything else ready and pump it out as soon as I get that track.

Ref: https://forum.snapcraft.io/t/track-request-for-node-14-fast-track-please/16842

[rvagg]

track 14 is live, thanks to Canonical for being so responsive, sudo snap refresh node --channel=14 will get you the goodies

[descholar-ceo]

Thank you so much @rvagg